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I’ve had a lot of people ask me this question… They’re going to Walt Disney World for a certain amount of time, and are wondering if they should spend the money on an annual pass instead of whatever ticket they were going to get.

For most visitors to Walt Disney World (who aren’t from Florida or DVC members), a Disney Platinum Pass is going to cost you $779. (as of posting this: May 1st, 2017)

If you are going to WDW for one week, a park hopper ticket (allowing you to go to multiple parks per day) is $485. So when you compare the two, it’s about $300 more to get the annual pass. Why would a person pay that much more money for one? Well, there are some reasons, which when put together, may make sense.

1 – You think you may come back within 12 months. If you’re going to come back for 3 or more days ($349), the annual pass is worth it. So if you take a trip about every year or so, plan your trips accordingly. One year, go August 15-22. The next year, go August 7-14. You get two trips out of one annual pass. It pays for itself and saves you plenty of money.
2 – You brought your own car and you’re staying off property. Parking costs $20 a day at Walt Disney World, so a week of driving in will be an extra $140. The Disney Platinum Pass gives you free parking for the entire year.
3 – You love the Photopass pictures and on-ride pictures at the parks. You can pay $149 for Memory Maker, unlimited photos during your stay. The Disney Platinum Pass gives you free photos for the entire year.
4 – You do a lot of dining or shopping, or have a large group that will spend a good amount of money on food and souvenirs. The Disney Platinum Pass gives you a discount of 10-20% off at a good number of restaurants, and 20% at a LOT of merchandise locations.
5 – You’re thinking of doing a tour or sports recreations at Walt Disney World. The Disney Platinum Pass gives you a discount of 15% on many tours, including Behind the Seeds, Keys to the Kingdom, and on mini-golfing, spas and other recreations.
6 – If you’re planning on staying onsite at a Walt Disney World resort, having an annual pass can save you quite a lot on your resort room. Staying for only 2 nights, depending on the season and resort, can make the Disney Platinum Pass worth it, and staying for even longer can save you hundreds of dollars.

When planning your vacation, any combination of these may show you that getting an annual pass is worth the extra money. If you’re planning on buying Memory Maker, playing a few rounds of miniature golf, and spending money on parking while at Walt Disney World, the Disney Platinum Pass is definitely worth it!

The money you can save by purchasing an annual pass can be hundreds of dollars or more! And that saved money means a longer trip, more souvenirs, a character buffet, or a donation to 365DaysAtDisney (joking. sort of…).

(And who doesn’t want this awesome looking card in their wallet?!?)

Please be sure to follow me on twitter, where I tweet daily about Disney history, food, parks, movies, and more! @365DaysOfDisney